JEE Main Cutoff — Category Wise (Gen/OBC/SC/ST/EWS)
Official JEE Main qualifying percentiles for JEE Advanced by category, 2021–2026, how the cutoff works, percentile-to-rank maths and NIT closing ranks.
NTA's JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoffs were 93.41 percentile for General, 82.42 for EWS, 80.92 for OBC-NCL, 63.92 for SC and 52.02 for ST. These are the minimum percentiles to register for JEE Advanced. NIT, IIIT and GFTI admission is decided separately, by your rank in JoSAA counselling. For the 2027 outlook, see our JEE Main 2027 expected cutoff.
Official Qualifying Cutoff (for JEE Advanced Eligibility)
| Category | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General (UR) | 93.41 | 93.10 | 93.24 | 90.78 |
| EWS | 82.42 | 80.38 | 81.33 | 75.62 |
| OBC-NCL | 80.92 | 79.43 | 79.68 | 73.61 |
| SC | 63.92 | 61.15 | 60.09 | 51.98 |
| ST | 52.02 | 47.90 | 46.70 | 37.23 |
| PwD | 0.0023 | 0.0079 | 0.0019 | 0.0014 |
NTA's qualifying percentiles, rounded to two decimals (PwD to four). 2026 figures are from NTA's result notice of 20 April 2026; earlier years as published by NTA and compiled by coaching sites.
NIT Closing Ranks — What Admission Actually Takes
Qualifying for JEE Advanced is one thing — getting into a top NIT branch takes a much better rank. These are the final-round closing ranks for B.Tech Computer Science at the top five NITs:
| NIT | CSE closing rank (JoSAA 2025, final round) |
|---|---|
| NIT Trichy | 1,449 |
| NIT Surathkal | 1,827 |
| NIT Warangal | 2,409 |
| NIT Rourkela | 3,431 |
| NIT Calicut | 5,222 |
Other-State quota, Open, gender-neutral (as reported by Careers360). Home-state quota, other branches and reserved categories close at different ranks — download the official opening and closing ranks from josaa.nic.in, or try our JEE college predictor.
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Practise with Super Tutor — start freePercentile vs Rank (Approximate)
Your NTA percentile tells you what share of candidates scored at or below you, so you can estimate your rank from it. In 2026, 15,38,468 unique candidates appeared, so each 1 percentile point was roughly 15,000 ranks:
| Percentile | Approx. CRL Rank (2026 candidate count) |
|---|---|
| 99.9 | ~1,500 |
| 99.5 | ~7,700 |
| 99 | ~15,400 |
| 98 | ~30,800 |
| 95 | ~77,000 |
| 93.41 (2026 General cutoff) | ~1,01,000 |
| 90 | ~1,54,000 |
| 85 | ~2,31,000 |
Estimated as (100 − percentile) × 15,38,468 ÷ 100. Your actual All India Rank also depends on ties and tie-breaking rules. The marks needed for a given percentile change from shift to shift, so no fixed marks-to-percentile table is reliable. For a quick estimate, use our JEE rank predictor.
Category-Wise Cutoff Trends (Last 6 Years)
| Year | General | EWS | OBC-NCL | SC | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 93.41 | 82.42 | 80.92 | 63.92 | 52.02 |
| 2025 | 93.10 | 80.38 | 79.43 | 61.15 | 47.90 |
| 2024 | 93.24 | 81.33 | 79.68 | 60.09 | 46.70 |
| 2023 | 90.78 | 75.62 | 73.61 | 51.98 | 37.23 |
| 2022 | 88.41 | 63.11 | 67.01 | 43.08 | 26.78 |
| 2021 | 87.90 | 66.22 | 68.02 | 46.88 | 34.67 |
Key trend: The General cutoff rose from under 88 in 2021–22 to above 93 from 2024, and every reserved category hit its highest level in 2026. Plan your preparation around at least 93–94 percentile if you want JEE Advanced eligibility as a General candidate.
How JEE Main Cutoff Is Determined
- NTA conducts JEE Main in two sessions (January and April).
- Raw marks are normalised into NTA scores (percentiles) shift by shift, and your better session score counts.
- The qualifying cutoff is set so that the top 2,50,000 candidates can register for JEE Advanced.
- Category-wise cutoffs follow the split of those 2,50,000: 40.5% open, 10% GEN-EWS, 27% OBC-NCL, 15% SC and 7.5% ST, with 5% horizontal reservation for PwD.
- Admission cutoffs (closing ranks) emerge during JoSAA counselling from seat availability, candidates' choices and the allotment rounds.
What to Do Based on Your Expected Percentile
| Your Percentile | Recommended Action |
|---|---|
| 99+ | Prepare seriously for JEE Advanced. Register for JoSAA and study previous closing ranks for NITs and IIITs. |
| 95–99 | Many NIT/IIIT options, especially in home-state quota or non-CSE branches. Register for JoSAA. Apply to BITS, VIT and state counselling as backups. |
| 90–95 | Some IIITs, GFTIs and newer NITs, mainly in less popular branches or home-state quota. Also apply through state-level counselling (MHT-CET, KCET, WBJEE). |
| 80–90 | Limited JoSAA options for Open category. Focus on state counselling and private universities. |
| Below 80 | State-level exams may offer better options. Reserved-category candidates should still check JoSAA closing ranks for their category. |
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Start JEE Prep — FreeKey Dates — JEE Main 2027
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Session 1 Exam | 22–24 and 28–30 January 2027 (NTA tentative) |
| Session 1 Result | Mid-February 2027 (expected) |
| Session 2 Registration | Late January–February 2027 (expected) |
| Session 2 Exam | Early April 2027 (expected) |
| Final Result + Qualifying Cutoff | Third week of April 2027 (expected; 2026: 20 April) |
| JoSAA Counselling Starts | Early June 2027 (expected) |
Session 1 dates are from NTA's tentative exam calendar (16 September 2026); the rest are estimates from the 2026 cycle. Check jeemain.nta.nic.in for official dates.
Qualifying cutoffs are NTA's published percentiles for 2021–2026. NIT closing ranks are from the final JoSAA 2025 round. Future cutoffs will depend on candidate numbers and score spread.
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Start freeFrequently Asked Questions
What was the JEE Main 2026 cutoff for General category?
NTA's 2026 qualifying cutoff for General (UR) candidates was 93.4123549 percentile. It was 93.1023262 in 2025 and 93.2362181 in 2024, so plan for roughly 93+ percentile for JEE Main 2027. This cutoff only decides who can register for JEE Advanced; NIT, IIIT and GFTI admission through JoSAA depends on your rank against each branch's closing rank.
What is the difference between qualifying cutoff and admission cutoff?
The qualifying cutoff is the minimum percentile needed to register for JEE Advanced (the top 2,50,000 candidates across categories). The admission cutoff, or closing rank, is the rank of the last candidate admitted to a particular college and branch in JoSAA. Closing ranks for popular branches at top NITs are far higher bars than the qualifying cutoff — for example, NIT Trichy CSE closed at AIR 1,449 for Other-State Open candidates in the final JoSAA 2025 round.
How is JEE Main cutoff calculated?
NTA converts raw marks in each shift into NTA scores (percentiles from 0 to 100), so candidates in easier and harder shifts are compared fairly. Your final score is the better of your two sessions. The qualifying cutoffs are then set so that the top 2,50,000 candidates, split by category (40.5% open, 10% GEN-EWS, 27% OBC-NCL, 15% SC, 7.5% ST, with 5% horizontal reservation for PwD), can register for JEE Advanced.
What rank is needed for NIT Trichy, Warangal, or Surathkal?
In the final round of JoSAA 2025, B.Tech CSE for Other-State, Open, gender-neutral candidates closed at AIR 1,449 at NIT Trichy, 1,827 at NIT Surathkal and 2,409 at NIT Warangal (reported by Careers360). Other branches, home-state quota seats and reserved categories close at different ranks — check the official opening and closing ranks on josaa.nic.in for your category and quota.
Can I get into an NIT with 90 percentile?
In 2026, 90 percentile meant a CRL rank of roughly 1.5 lakh (about 10% of the 15.38 lakh candidates). That is usually outside Open-category closing ranks for most NIT branches, but some newer NITs, IIITs and GFTIs, home-state quota seats and reserved-category seats close at much higher ranks. Check the previous year's JoSAA closing ranks for your category, quota and branch, and keep state counselling as a backup.
Does JEE Main cutoff change every year?
Yes. The General qualifying cutoff was 87.90 percentile in 2021, 88.41 in 2022, 90.78 in 2023, 93.24 in 2024, 93.10 in 2025 and 93.41 in 2026. It moves with candidate numbers and how scores are spread, so treat past years as a guide, not a guarantee.